Boiler and superheater having replaceable tubes



Dec. 3, 1929. 'r. B. STILLMAN ,80

' BOILER AND SUPERHEATER HAVING REPLACEABLE TUBES Filed April 21, 1925 Z-Sheets-Shet 1 IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 3, 1929. T. B. STILLMAN 9 BOILER AND SUPERHEATER HAVING REPLACEABLE TUBES Filed April 21, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIQVVENTOR. m 6% BY ,M

- Y ATTORNEYS.

1 .wn mn Patented Dec. 3, 1929' .lHGM AS B. STILLEAN, OE SGU'EH QRANGE NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR 1T0 EHE BABCOGK @YJ COX comm, OF BAYQNNE, NEW JERSEY, A COREQRA'EIQIF OF NEW JERSEY 30m AND SUEERHEATER HAVING: REPLALE TUBE$ Application filed s erm, .1925. Serial no. eases. 3

arranged so that the tubes of the superheater are individually replaceable.

My invention will best be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings 1n which I have illustrated one embodiment of 1 my invention and in which Fig. 1 is a vertical section through a steam boiler embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional viewof a part of Fig. 1 and Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation through Fig. 2, looking to the left. o

Like reference characters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

Referring now to the drawings, 10 and 11 are the front and rear walls, respectively, of a furnace between which is a furnace chamber 12, the furnace being fired, in the form illustrated, by an oil burner 13. Above the furnace is located a steam boiler comprising upper and lower spaced banks of water tubes 14 and 15, which are illustrated as horizontally inclined. The ends of the tubes are connected to downtake and uptake headers 16 and 17 respectively, the downtake headers being connected to the upper steam and water drum 18 by nipples 19, while the uptake headers 17' are connected to the steam and water drum by horizontal circulating tubes 20, above which is located the roof 21 for the boiler. In the form illustrated, a roof baffle 22 is laid upon the lowermost row 15 of the boiler tubes, the same being located above the furnace chamber and extending from the front wall 10 to wards the rear of the boiler. A cross bafile 23 extends upwardly from the inner endof the roof bailie 22 transversely across the lower bank of tubes 15, across the space between the tubes and at least partially across the upper Y bank of tubes, as illustrated. In the form shown, a second bafile 24 extends downwardly from the roof 21 of the boiler across the-upper bank 14 of the boiler, across the space between the two banks and to the upper portion of the lower bank. In the form shown, the baffles thus define three passes across the boiler tubes through which the gases flow, as indicated by the arrows, to the outlet flue 25.

A superheater, indicated generally at A, is located in the space between the. upper and lower banks of boiler tubes 14 and 15, the headers 26 and 27 being located one above the other and forming a part of the baflie 23, as best shown in Fig. 1. The headers 26 and 27 are spaced apart, as at 28, sufficiently to permit the removal and insertion of certain tubes of the superheater therethrough. The space between the headers is preferably closed by a panel 29 extending lengthwise of the headers, and preferably formed of aplurality of sections, a fragmentary portion of only a single section being illustrated in the drawings. superheater U-tubes are connected 'to the headers 26 and 27, and in the form illustrated there are two different loops of tubes, the tubes 30 of the outer loop having a relatively large radiusat the curved end, and the tubes of the inner loop 31 having a relatively small radius. tubes are divided into spaced groups, the inner tubes registering with the outer tubes and the spaces between the groups of the inner tubes registering with the spaces between the outer groups of tubes. In the form illustrated, there are two U-tubes in each group,

the groups for the outer tubes being indicated at 30, 30*, 30, 30, 30 and 30, while the groups of innertubes are indicated at 31*, 31, 31, 31, 31 and 31. The space between adjacent groups of tubes is at least as great,- and preferably slightly greater than the diameters of the tubes themselves. The tubes of the superheater are so arranged withrespect to the boiler tubes thata space 32 is formed above the outer loop of tubes 30 and the lowermost tubes 14of the upper bank, this space being somewhat wider than the diameters of'the superheater tubes, but less than the span of the tubes between legs. A similar space 33 is preferably formed between the lower legs of the outer tubes 30 and the uppermost tubes of the lower bank 15. The superheater tubes extend from the super- Both the inner tubes and the outer heater headersalong the first pass towards the provided between the ends of the outer tubes 30 and the uptake headers.

The individual tubes of the superheater may readily be removed and replaced by my invention, and the operation is carried out as follows: Assuming that it is desirable to renew one of the outer tubes 301, it is first out free at the tube ends and is moved forwardly toward the uptake headers of the boiler until the tube ends are entirely clear and free of the superheater boxes. The tube is then moved to the right or left,-as required. In the illustration, it is moved to the right, into the space 35 between the groups of tubes 30 and 30 on the one side and 31 and 31 on the other side. The tube is then moved either up or down at the convenience of the operator, in the direction of the boiler tubes above or below. Assume that it is desired to remove the tube through the upper space 32, as the upper portion of the loopapproaches the boiler tubes, the upper loop or leg of the tube is then moved horizontally to the right in the space 32. While the upper leg or loop of the superheater is moving horizontally, the lower leg or loop is continuing to' slide up through the space 35 between the groups of superheater tubes until finally the entire loop is lying in a horizontal position on top of the other superheater tubes. As soon as this position is reached, the loop may be grasped from the outside of the boiler casing through a suitable opening formed therein and pulled outside of the boiler.

To insert a new tube, the reverse procedure is followed, namely, the new loop is inserted between the upper portion of the superheater and the lowermost boiler tubes of the upper bank, and it is then pushed across to the space between two adjacent groups where it is to drop into place and an operator who takes his position in the space between the upper and lower banks of boiler tubes and in the second pass, can, by removing one or more of the panels, reach through between the superheater headers 26 and 27 and grasp the ends of the superheater tube and guide it into position in the tube openings in the headers. While I have described the removal and insertion of a tube through the space 32, it will, of course, be understood that the tube may I be removed and inserted through space33 in the same manner.

The inner superheater tubes 31 are removed the other side. The tube is then moved up-- wardly, the upper leg of the tube entering the space 35 and the lower leg of the tube is to the horizontal position and the tube assume the position indicated in Fi 3. The tube may then be removed throug1 the space between the upper and lower-headers 26 and 27 by removing one of the panels 29 to the second pass between the upper and lower banks of tubes 14 and 15, from which it can be withdrawn through a suitable opening in the easing.

With the downtake and uptake headers 16 and 17 to which the two banks" of tubes 14 and 15 are connected, formed continuous and without connecting nipples, as illustrated, the headers are in practice placed in side-byside engagement with no space between them so that when the curved ends of the superheater tubes are located adjacent to the uptake headers, the tubes cannot be passed between the headers. My invention provides an arrangement by which the individual tubes of the superheater may readily be replaced.

It will, of course, be understood that while I have illustrated my invention in connection with a superheater having two loops of tubes, it is equally applicable to a superheater where only one loop of tubes is used. It is also to be understood that while I have illustrated the planes of the U-tubes of the superheater inclined to the vertical, my invention is independent of such inclination and is equally applicable, for example, where the planes of the tubes are vertical. By leaving suflicient clearance between the free curved ends of the superheater tubes and the uptake headers, there is ample clearance for the loop of the movable tube to pass between the uptake headers of the boiler and the fixed loop of the superheater tube nearest to the one being replaced.

I claim:

1. In a steam boiler, spaced banks of water tubes connected at their ends to headers extending across the space between the banks, a superheater located in the space between the banks and comprising headers extending transversely of said boiler tubes and spaced apart and each disposed adjacent one of said banks, removable panels for closing the space between said headers, U-tubes connected to said headers and divided into spaced groups, the distance between any two ad acent groups .being greater than the diameter of the tubes,

the spaces between the groups permitting a tube to be turned therein, whereby an indi vidual tube may be removed from or inserted in position in the superheater through the space enclosed by said U-tubes and through an opening formed by removing a panel.

transversely of said tubes and spaced apart and each disposed adjacent one of said banks, removable panels for closing the ace between said headers, two sets of U-tu es connected to said headers and having their bent ends of greater and smaller radii, respectively, the tubes of smaller radii being located Within those of the larger radii, the U-tubes of both sets being divided into spaced groups, the spaces between the groups of the inner set registering with those of the outer, and each space being greater than the diameter of the U-tubes, the outer tubes of the superheater being spaced from one of the banks of boiler tubes, wherebythe U-tubes of the outer set and. of the inner set may be removed from and inserted in position in the superheater through the space between the superheater.

tubes and the bank of boiler tubes and through the space between the headers respectively.

3. In a steam boiler, spaced banks of horizontally inclined water tubes connected at their ends to headers extending across-the space between the banks, at least one baflie extending across the water tubes and defining a plurality of passes for the gases across the tubes, a superheater located in the space between the banks of water tubes and comprising headers located one above the other and extending transversely of the water tubes and each header disposed adjacent one of said banks, said headers being spaced apart, removable panels for closing the space between said headers, two sets of U-tubes connected to said headers and having their bent ends of respectively greater and smaller radii, the tubes of smaller radii being located within those of larger radii, the tubes ex tending across the first pass with the-bent ends of the larger tubes spaced from the as sociated headers and the bent ends of the smaller tubes s aced from those of the larger, both sets of tu es being divided into spaced groups, with the spaces between ad acent groups of the smaller tubes registering with those of the larger and any space being greator than the diameter of the U-tubes and the superheater tubes being spaced irom one of the banks of boiler tubes by a distance greater than the diameter of the. U-tubes, whereby an individual larger U-tube maybe removed from or inserted in position in the superheater through a space between adjacent groups and the space between the U-tubes and a bank of boiler tubes, and the smaller U-tubes through the space between the superheater headers.

THOMAS B. STILLMAN. 

